Smoke and sirens replaced diplomacy yesterday as the fragile talks of a US-Iran nuclear deal collapsed into open confrontation. According to Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who has mediated recent discussions, a peace agreement was 'within our reach,' with Iran agreeing to halt all nuclear material that could produce a bomb, under full International Atomic Energy Agency verification.
Before these terms could be finalised, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, with explosions shaking Tehran and several western cities, forcing residents to flee and leaving a tense standoff across the Gulf.
